Migration of 25% of University Professors in Iran; Ambiguous or Real?

Hosseini Simayi Sarraf, Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology, has reported that "25% of university professors in the country have migrated in recent years," calling this statistic "concerning." This is not the first time warnings have been issued in Iran regarding the migration of academics, including elite professors and students. Two months ago, Simayi Sarraf also stated at a conference of university presidents that the trend of academic migration from Iran is "increasing." What does this statistic mean? Saeed Peyvandi, a sociologist in France who has researched the status of universities in Iran, tells Radio Farda that such statistics are "ambiguous." According to Peyvandi, there are currently 80,000 faculty members working in Iranian universities, and the migration of a quarter of this number, which amounts to 20,000, seems excessive. He noted that if we only consider those with the title of "university professor" at various academic ranks, Iran has about 8,000 university professors, making 25% of that about 2,000. The Minister of Science also did not specify the exact timeframe in which these professors migrated from Iran, only stating "in recent years." It is also unclear whether this statistic pertains only to public universities or includes private higher education institutions as well. In the absence of transparency regarding the status of professors' migration in Iran, state media have fundamentally denied such a phenomenon. The Jam-e Jam newspaper, affiliated with the state broadcasting organization, claimed last year during the reopening of universities after the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests that the situation regarding professors migrating abroad had not reached the crisis level. While the Minister of Science has mentioned various reasons for professors' migration, both he and Iranian media have emphasized economic factors in professors' emigration. Peyvandi acknowledges this factor but also lists other reasons. He states that professors' incomes in Iranian universities have decreased to about a quarter of what professors earn abroad over the past 20 years. However, he also referenced statements from professors who have migrated from Iran, noting that they cited "lack of job security, the general atmosphere of the university, lack of essential academic freedoms, lack of university independence, interference from outside forces in university affairs, and a bleak political outlook in Iran" as their reasons for leaving. Peyvandi emphasized that such reasons have led to the migration of other specialized groups in Iran beyond university professors. The Islamic Republic has been highly sensitive to university issues since its inception, immediately launching a wave of purges in universities under the name of the "Cultural Revolution." Naima Mohammadi, a former professor at Bahonar University in Kerman, tells Radio Farda that her main reason for leaving Iran was not economic. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic's sensitivity regarding humanities disciplines is much greater, with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, calling for the "Islamization" of universities. Fath Saeedi, a researcher in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Texas, tells Radio Farda that among the various factors for professors' migration, the ideological approach to hiring and promoting professors in Iran is the least mentioned. Saeedi, who received his PhD in Iranian Studies from the University of Göttingen in Germany in 2023, stated that upon returning to Iran, he could not find a position in the country's universities. He mentioned facing a "security barrier" and that "it is practically impossible for someone who has studied humanities abroad to find work in Iranian universities unless they are ideologically aligned with the Iranian government." This researcher, who works on Middle Eastern issues, said that generally in Iranian universities, professors are concerned that their daily behavior is closely monitored. This control system exerts additional pressure on them. Naima Mohammadi, a former professor at Bahonar University who has now migrated to the United States and is working as a visiting assistant professor at the Gender and Women's Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, emphasized what she called the "militarized atmosphere" prevailing in Iranian universities. She stated that her main reason for leaving Iran was not economic, as she wished to work as a university professor in her "homeland." Fath Saeedi mentioned that after obtaining his PhD in Iranian Studies from the University of Göttingen, he could not find a position in Iranian universities. Mohammadi specifically focuses on the experiences of Muslim women in non-Muslim majority societies. She pointed to the "narrow-mindedness" in Iranian universities, stating that security officials label scientific studies with terms like "dissident," "secular," or "feminist," creating an environment that restricts professors' activities. But can professors who are forced to leave their homeland easily find positions in other countries? Fath Saeedi states that job opportunities and conditions for graduates in humanities are less favorable compared to technical and basic sciences fields in the US and Europe. Mohammadi also argues that the migration of university professors from Iran, even if accompanied by new opportunities in other countries, represents a national loss for Iran. The Cultural Revolution in the Islamic Republic, which closely resembles the Cultural Revolution in Mao's China, seems to have no end. The result of such conditions is merely the decline of the academic ranking of Iranian universities and the failure to cultivate qualified and capable individuals to manage the country's affairs.